Link's Close Encounter Please Read and Review!
by Archrival
Summary: There is a newbie in the land of Hyrule


Link's Close Encounter (Part 1)  
  
Fanfiction by Garrett  
  
It was another perfect sunny day in Hyrule. Young Link was getting restless and so he decided to explore the field a little. It was a big field. Wild creatures of various sorts roamed this open area. Nighttime was a different story. Since that has nothing to do with this short story, let's leave it there. As I said before, it was a huge place. To the north lay Hyrule Castle. To the west was Lon Lon Ranch and the Nayru tribe. To the east was the forest town where Link was taken to the Deku Tree. It was also when he first met his faery, which was long gone. To the south was a gated entrance to the lake. Before he truly began to search out adventure in the plains, he decided to give a visit to Lon Lon Ranch. There was a friend there who he wanted to visit. Whistling to himself and skipping, he made his way across the land. He was also anxious to visit his other friend, Epona, who was a pony. Link and Epona had great times together. It was awhile since he saw the pony, but he hoped his friend would remember him. Link was so lost in his thoughts, it took a minute to notice the strange sight before him. In front of him was the entrance to the ranch. To the right side was a tree. Nothing about any of this was different. However, to the left of the entrance was what Link thought was a strange looking mushroom. This mushroom didn't even look like it came from Link's land. The mushroom's top was white with red polka dots. There didn't seem to be a stem above ground. It just looked like a small ball trapped halfway below the ground. It was the texture that made Link think differently. It looked soft and smooth, like flesh. It wasn't everyday when something this unusual was sighted. Link took advantage of this and quickly forgot his friends. This needed experimenting. In the land of Hyrule, danger was always an issue. Link didn't trust this weird object, so he took out his short sword, just to be on the safe side. Link took a closer look. With his left hand, he softly tapped on the top of it. The texture was smooth, but it also had firmness to it as well. There was a sudden jerk of movement, and the "mushroom" pulled itself out of the ground. There was a fairly deep hole where it had been resting. Link stared in wonder, with his dagger clutched tightly in his hands. This organism was indeed a creature. A very outlandish and unusual creature at that. The polka dotted head came over it like a mushroom, so Link at least had that notion correct. As it was shaking itself off, Link studied every detail. The mushroom was only half of its head. Below it was a normal face, with two black eyes and a mouth. Below that, this creature had two arms that ended with normal hands and five fingers. It had a somewhat lean body with a blue shirt on. Partially under its blue shirt was white pants that was round along the bottom of it. There were two small holes where practically nonexistent legs came out. It ended with brown shoes that covered the feet. It was the most peculiar thing Link had ever seen. What was it? The creature looked around and frowned in confusion. It took the creature a minute, before it noticed Link. It gave a slight jump. It quickly introduced itself in a childlike voice. It was really comical, and Link had to try hard not to burst out laughing on the ground due to politeness. "Hello stranger. My name is Toad. What is yours? Oh, and one other thing. Do you know where I can find Mario? It looks like the princess has been kidnapped by Bowser again and I have to warn him as soon as possible." So it had a name. Everything else that came out of Toad's mouth might as well have been a different language. Link was definitely left in the dark with this one. He decided to introduce himself as well. Politeness was always a good thing. "Hi, Toad. My name is Link. I do not know who this Mario is, or why your princess would be kidnapped by anyone. I'm sorry. However, I'm curious. Where do you come from?" At the previous statement, Toad leaped in shock. He couldn't believe that Link hadn't heard of Mario. Mario must have been famous where he came from. After he recovered, a quick reply was in order. "Mario is only the most famous hero ever. I guess you won't be of any help. I wish I knew where I was. I have never felt so lost in my life. I come from the mushroom kingdom. Do you know where I am?" "You are in the land of Hyrule. Where you come from must be a long way away. I don't know of this mushroom kingdom you speak of, but I may know of someone who could help. Come on, I'll lead you to her." By this time, it was noon. The sun was high in the sky, and Link made his way north to the castle, with his newly acquainted traveler. As they walked on, the conversation continued and many things were learned. Mario was a great hero of the land. The evil Bowser, who was a mutated turtle of sorts, always caused mischief and brought danger to the world. Mario always rescued the princess, just to go and save her all over again. This Bowser was persistent and always tried new ideas to defeat him once and for all. Every time, he would be thwarted. It was a non-stop cycle. Toad tries to help him along the way by doing various tasks for him. Everything from giving out important information and warnings to selling him useful items. When Toad finished his story, Link revealed his. His adventures through many lands, but always managing to conquer and become a hero of his own. The most recent time he had the most fun telling. Especially the final fight with Ganondorf. He enjoyed every minute of it. They finally made it past the gates of Hyrule Castle just as it became nightfall. Almost immediately after they got in, the guards raised up the gate to protect the castle till sunrise. Now they were trapped in the castle area till morning. It was just as well. Even though the area was named Hyrule Castle, the castle itself was a quite a ways away. To the right of the gate was a soldier guarding a storage area. He also had the job of raising and lowering the gates. The guard was the strong and silent type. He wasn't even curious to who the newbie was. He waved the two visitors on. Toad and Link quickly moved on. It wasn't long before they entered the small town a distance away from the castle. To the left was the alley and to the right was the Temple of Time. That was one place Link knew very well. Straight ahead was their destination. As they walked to the Zelda's castle, Link explained the various "landmarks" to Toad. It was so amusing to Link how he was still a kid and was still taller than this guy.  
  
It took a while, but Link and his guest finally made it to the front entrance of the castle. There were two guards and it didn't take them long to spot the visitors. The guards exchanged sidelong glances that seemed to say "What the heck is this thing" in bold letters. Toad apparently didn't notice this or tried not to. Link tried to go through. The sentry pushed him back. "Sorry, but no kids aloud. Go back and play with your friend somewhere else. Only people who have invitations from the princess could go through anyway. Oh, and whoever you are, nice costume." Toad gave an annoyed look to Link. He winked back. Link stood there for a minute, taking in everything the guard said. Trying to formulate some kind of plan that was a specialty of this kid. "Look, it is important that we see Zelda immediately. My friend here is a traveler from a long off place and we need her help. Please let us through." "Sorry, but we just cannot do that. If I let in every kid begging me to enter, Impa would have my throat. Sorry, kid, but I have orders. Maybe you'll understand when you're my age." Impa was the guardian of princess Zelda. She helped Link through his previous journey and surely she would let Link through. Link had an idea. It was the same plan he used to enter the castle the first time. First, he had to make this look real. Shrugging in disappointment, he backtracked the way he came. Toad followed him in silence, still trying to get acquainted to this new and unfamiliar environment. Link sneaked back into the central area in front of the castle. This time, he was not spotted by the guards. He crept slowly and silently to the right side where there was water coming out of a small opening. Both Link and Toad managed to fit through the hole and they ended up in a small pool of water. From their, Link urged Toad to be as quiet as possible. So, they sneaked past room after room of guards. It wasn't long until Link found the garden which was Zelda's favorite part to rest in. The funny thing was, she was looking at the window, just like the previous encounter he had with her. Sensing a new presence in the room, Zelda turned around abruptly. She was prepared to face any evil that lay before her. She recognized Link and sighed instantly. All that was here was her friend and secret crush, but there was no reason to reveal that! However, there was the most curious creature standing beside him. Well, first things first. She had to greet him like a true princess. Anything else just wouldn't be ladylike. "Hello Link! I'm glad to see you came back to visit. Who is this friend you have with you?" "Hello princess. Always glad to visit a friend. This here is Toad." "Why hello Toad. I am princess Zelda of Hyrule. Any friend of Link's is a friend of mine. You are always welcome here." Toad blushed. It was the first time he has been spoken to so kindly and sincerely. Princess was nice enough to him, but it was just all out of politeness. However, serious matters were at stake here. Mario had to be warned as soon as possible. Toad had to find his way back. "Thank you, princess. Unfortunately, I am a little lost right now. I come from the Mushroom Kingdom. I don't know where I am or how to get back. Maybe you could help me?" Though Zelda was about the same age as Link, she was a lot smarter. She knew the whole world that expanded past the boundaries of Hyrule. She had never heard of such a place as the Mushroom Kingdom. In cases like these, it was always best to know the whole story. "Unfortunately, I have never heard of such a place. I would like to hear the whole story. How did you get here? What happened just before you arrived?" "Well, princess, I am not entirely sure how I got here, but here is the story. The princess was looking at the beautiful sight out of the balcony of her castle with me right by her side. It was a beautiful sight, watching the sunset in motion. We didn't hear Bowser approach." "Bowser? Who is he?" "Bowser is the nastiest villain in the world. He is a large mutated turtle with a face like a dragon, shell like a porcupine, and a heavily muscled body. He is the archrival of the great Mario." "And who is this Mario?" "Mario is the great hero of our world. He jumps really high, but that is beside the point. He has saved our skins more times than I could ever count. He is always the one everyone counts on to make things right again." "Ok, sorry for the interruption. Continue, please. I'd like to hear more." "Anyway, Bowser has this vehicle that he always uses to travel. It is like a top, but with a propeller on the bottom and his face painted on. He used this vehicle to kidnap the princess. This time I decided to do something about it. When Bowser yanked the princess away, I grabbed on and stuck around for the trip. As Bowser was heading back to his big castle, a big white flash struck us suddenly. I felt myself falling as I started to black out. And when I woke back up, here I was, buried in the dirt. That is the entire story." "Ok, this helps a bit. Here is what I think. We have always lived on separate sides of the line. This line is the separator of our two dimensions. Something drastic occurred and the line was cut. Somehow, you were pulled to our side." "Ok, that makes sense in an odd way. So, here is the big question. How do I get back?" "I have no idea. I have a feeling somehow, if there is a way, it will be through the Temple of Time. It is a strange and mysterious place that holds many secrets of the greater matters. I know someone who might be able to help." Zelda whistled loudly between her fingers. It was a trick that was most likely passed down from Impa to Zelda. Speak of the devil. Impa appeared in back of Link so suddenly, when Toad turned around, he was shocked and fell to the ground with a muttered "ooph". The mushroom head got back up and dusted himself off. Impa didn't pay attention to any of this. It was all focused on Zelda. Impa tapped her feet on the ground consistently to show just how impatient she was. She didn't have all day after all. "Ok, what's up? And what is this creature doing in the garden?" "This creature has a name. He is Toad. He is the reason I have called you here. Give me a quick minute to explain.." And so the princess told her the whole story. Impa nodded her head back in forth while listening, as if she understood the solution to this whole predicament. When Zelda finished, Impa spoke up. "Ok, here is your solution." Impa gave the ocarina of time toLink. "Take Toad to the Temple of Time and play this tune in front of the altar. It is called Song of Revelation." Impa whistled the tune quickly between her fingers. Link listened and learned. "Good luck, both of you." Impa disappeared as soon as the last phrase was spoken. She must have been in some kind of rush. It was better not to ask. Link and Toad both said their thanks to princess Zelda. Link gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and she blushed in approval. He gave her a wink, and he started back to the temple. The temple of time was quite big. Sunlight pored in from windows on the ceiling. Straight ahead was the enigmatic altar where the answer were once again. Link played his tune, and a bright flash occurred. The temple was empty once again. In the mushroom kingdom, the same occurrence happened and Link crashed to the balcony with Toad. As Link got himself up and realized where he was, he got a look of panic on his face. He sighed to himself. "Why does this always happen to me?" TO BE CONTINUED... 


End file.
